Amy Rota-Poulin, a local gluten-free expert and the only affiliate of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness GREAT Kitchens gluten-free training program in upstate New York, said, “Kim Klopstock is simply amazing. She features so many local products and has always offered gluten-free dining. You can order with confidence, and know your meal will be prepared by a chef and a staff who have been properly educated to provide gluten-free alternatives in a safe gluten-free environment.”

“I like the educational component of being a farm-to-table restaurant,” Klopstock said. “We are dedicated to making good wholesome food affordable and delicious by using only the finest and freshest ingredients. We strive to use fair-trade, organic and biodynamically farmed sustainable products wherever possible, while leaving as small an environmental footprint as we can. We never use trans fats or monosodium glutamate. We use only heart-healthy canola oil and fresh unsalted butter. So the gluten-free aspect is fairly easy for us since our food, by nature, is clean and simple.”

SaraBella Pizza opens second location

MALTA >> SaraBella Pizza has opened a second location at 128 Dunning St., where Double D’s Pizza used to be.

The flagship SaraBella at 391 Sand Creek Road in Colonie continues to deliver its special brand of pizza and Italian homemade goods in the Capital District. Now, the authentic brick-oven pizza and other Italian delicacies are available in Saratoga County.

SaraBella is a family-owned and -operated, full-scale eatery offering brick-oven pizza, specialty pies and the most authentic Brooklyn-style Sicilian pizza available north of New York City. Owners Domenic and Lisa Fuda have completely renovated the old Double D’s Pizza to create their newest restaurant. The Fudas are actually returning to the Malta area, where Domenic has a history with Double D’s Pizza.

“Dom started out in the pizza business here in Malta as a co-owner of Double D’s Pizza 16 years ago,” Lisa Fuda said. “He decided to branch out on his own with SaraBella in Colonie right before we got married, and the two of us built the pizzeria together and have been successful with it. When the opportunity came to take over full ownership of Double D’s Pizza in Malta and turn it into SaraBella Pizza, we took it.”

For his part, Domenic Fuda is thrilled to bring his successful brick-oven pizza to Saratoga County.

“We’ve been in Colonie nearly three years, and it’s been really fantastic serving the neighborhood our homemade pizza, dinners and sandwiches,” he said. “I’m really excited to come back to Malta to serve up our authentic Italian SaraBella food to this county.” SaraBella Pizza in Malta will feature the same dinner everyday and promotional specials as the Colonie location.

Domenic Fuda said, “At SaraBella, everything on the menu is made daily on the premises, and we guarantee that what we make is done in the old-fashioned Italian tradition. And we will continue in that tradition in our new Malta location.”

Hours of operation for the Malta eatery are Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. The pizzeria offers free delivery for pies, dinners and catering along with daily specials and promotional specials.

Juice Bar comes to the aid of fire victims

SARATOGA SPRINGS >> Saratoga Juice Bar at 382 Broadway recently hosted a reception to distribute donations to the residents of 100 to 108 Woodlawn Ave., who lost everything in a July 28 fire.

The juice bar held a fundraiser during which the staff donated one day’s entire tips to the fire victims. Saratoga Juice Bar owners Christel and Colin MacLean matched this total amount raised in a separate pledge to the victims.

“While we were happy to raise a total of $550, we decided to take it a step further and reach out to the fire victims to put together a wish list of items they would like to have replaced,” store manager Chelsey Backus said.